Indiana, the thirty-first state of the American Union in area, and the eighth in population, is centrally situated between 37° 47' and 41° 50' N. lat., and in 84° 49' —88° 2' W. long. It is bounded on the N. by Lake Michigan and Michigan state, on the E. by Ohio, on the S. by Kentucky, from which it is separated by the Ohio River, and on the W. by Illinois, the Wabash River being the line
Copyright 1890 in U.S.
by J. B. Lippincott
Company. of division a part of the way. Its greatest length north and south is 276 miles, its average breadth 140 miles, and its area 36,350 sq. m. The coastline on Lake Michigan is about 60 miles.
The surface of the country has a slight slope towards the west and south-west, the highest point, near the eastern boundary, being 1250 feet above sea-level. Drainage is in four main directions: through the St Joseph River to Lake Michigan, the Maumee River to Lake Erie, the Kankakee River to the Mississippi, and the Wabash and other streams to the Ohio; small streams intersect the state in every direction, and in the northern part there are numerous small lakes. The northern half of the state is generally level, except for occasional irregular ridges forming 'divides' between streams. Hills increase in frequency from the centre of the state to the south and south-east, and along the Ohio 'knobs' 200-500 feet high are almost continuous, with deep gorges and river-bottoms between. Much of the north-western regions is inundated with water the greater part of every year; but this land is being actively reclaimed by a system of drainage. The fertility of the soil, whether clay or sandy loam, is greatly increased by a vast system of under-draining, there being in 1888 nearly 25,000,000 yards of drain-tiles in use.
The minerals include coal, bog and hematite iron ores, and stratified limestones and sandstones in abundance, ochre beds, kaolin, fireclays, and some gold. The actual workable coalfield covers an area of 6000 sq. m. The production of coal of all kinds amounted in 1870 to 437,870 tons, in 1880 to 1,449,496 tons, and in 1888 to 3,140,979 tons, mostly block coal, although there is also abundance of bituminous and some cannel coal. The natural-gas field, the centre of which is in Delaware county, 40 miles NE. of Indianapolis, has been developed since 1886, and $6,000,000 was invested in 1888 in the business of supplying it for fuel, there being 395 wells in twenty-three counties. In 1897 there were 2000 wells in twenty-eight counties, with an average flow for each of 2,000,000 cubic feet daily. In the gas region, and in the districts within reach of its pipes, it became for a time almost the exclusive fuel, and also came into use as an illuminant. But by-and-by the supplies of gas began to give out (see GAS-LIGHTING), and the coal supplies resumed their old importance. In 1897 the number of tons of coal raised was 3,706,401, while 65,000 casks of petroleum were obtained. Building-stone and whetstones are plentiful. Devonian, Silurian, and Carboniferous are the chief geological formations. The climate is healthy, but very variable; the winter is severe but short; and summer is hot in the 'Hoosier State,' as Indiana is nicknamed—nobody knows why, though many stories are told.
The principal industry is agriculture, the chief crops being maize, wheat, oats, rye, barley, buck-wheat, potatoes, and tobacco. Some 250,000 gallons of wine are made yearly. The state is surpassed only by Minnesota and Kansas for the amount of its wheat crops, and by Iowa for maize. Flax and sorghum are raised, as are also enormous quantities of apples and peaches. Dairy produce is exported. Wool, honey, maple-sugar, cider, and vinegar are made, and fruit and vegetables are preserved. About a third of the state is still under wood.
The manufactures of Indiana present great variety, and are often important. Among the largest manufactures of their class in the world are the wagon and plough factories at South Bend, the manufactures of flour-mill machinery and carriages at Indianapolis, the plate-glass works at New Albany, and the encaustic tile works at Indianapolis. Indianapolis has also the second largest pork-packing establishment, and is at the head of the sofa-manufacture; Indiana, indeed, turns out more furniture than any other state of the Union, largely made from the valuable timbers of the Wabash and its tributaries. In 1886 there were 11,885 manufactures, with a capital of 51,490,656. The value of raw material used during the year was 91,872,291; of products, 158,562,729; wages and other expenses, 31,211,152. In 1890 there were 12,384 manufactures with 124,349 workers, producing in the year a value of $227,000,000. At that date (the census year) the manufactures of the state had increased tenfold in thirty years. The trade is almost wholly internal, though Michigan city has trade with Canada; navigable rivers and canals greatly facilitate commerce. The central position of Indiana compels all main through-lines from the east and west to cross the state. In 1880 there were 4020 miles of railway in operation; in 1895, 10,000. The Wabash and Erie Canal, the largest in the United States (476 miles), has 374 miles in Indiana; and another canal (75 miles) extends from Lawrenceburg to Hayestown. The Ohio is navigable throughout its length within the state, and on it over fifty Indiana steamboats ply; the Wabash is navigable to Lafayette, and its branch, the White River, for about 60 miles.
The population in 1800 numbered 4577 whites and 163 coloured, 135 of the latter being slaves. In 1860 the population was 1,350,428; in 1880, 1,978,301; and in 1890 it was 2,600,000. The cities with over 30,000 of a population in 1890 were Indianapolis (105,436), Evansville (50,756), Fort Wayne (35,392), and Terre Haute (30,217). Great attention is devoted to education. In 1888 the children of school age numbered 756,989, of whom 514,463 were enrolled in the common schools. The number of teachers was 14,204, of school-houses 9882; the revenue for the year was $5,235,032. There are a state university at Bloomington, the Purdue University and state institute of technology at Lafayette, and the state normal school at Terre Haute, as well as a hundred high schools: instruction at all these is free. Not under state control are 14 universities and colleges, and numerous academies and special schools. In most of the colleges, as in the common schools, the sexes are educated together.
The state is divided into ninety-two counties. The governor is elected for four years. The general assembly, composed of fifty senators and one hundred representatives, meets every two years. Indiana has two senators and thirteen representatives in congress. The judges of the supreme court, five in number, are elected for six years.
History.—Indiana was discovered by La Salle in 1671, and constituted part of New France. In 1763 France ceded the country to Great Britain: by the treaty of 1783 it became a part of the United States, under the general term of the north-west territory, which later was divided into the territories of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. In 1816 Indiana was admitted to the Union, and the state government was finally settled at Indianapolis in 1825. By the ordinance of 1787 slavery was prohibited in the territory. The Indian troubles resulting from the influx of settlers culminated in the battle of Tippecanoe (see HARRISON, W. H.) in 1811. Indiana supplied five regiments for the war with Mexico, and during the civil war furnished for the government service 208,367 men, of whom 24,416 were killed or died of disease.